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Headteacher: Caroline Howell, BSc.(Hons) |
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Hitchin Road
Henlow
Bedfordshire SG16
6BA Tel: 01462
812047 E-mail: derwentlower@schools.bedfordshire.gov.uk Website: www.derwentlower.net |
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Dear Parent,
Notice
of Fair Processing
The school processes
personal data about its pupils and is a “data controller” in respect of this
for the purposes of the Data Protection Act 1998. The school processes this
data in order to support pupils’ teaching and learning, to monitor and report
on their progress, to provide appropriate pastoral care, and to assess how well
the school as a whole is doing. Under the requirements of the Act, we have a
duty to tell you about the types of data held, why that data is held, and to
whom it may be passed on.
This information includes contact details, National
Curriculum assessment results and non-statutory assessments, attendance
information, characteristics such as ethnic group, special educational needs
and any relevant medical information.
From time to time the school is required to pass some of
this data to the Local Authority (LAs), to another school to which the pupil is
transferring, to the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF), and
to agencies that are prescribed by law, such as the Qualifications and
Curriculum Authority (QCA), Ofsted, the Learning and Skills Councils (LSC),the
Department of Health (DH), Primary Care Trusts (PCTs), ContactPoint and organisations that require access to data
in the Learner Registration Scheme as part of the MIAP (Managing Information
Across Partners) Programme. All these are data controllers in respect of the
data they receive, and are subject to the same legal constraints in how they
deal with the data.
The Children Act 2004 Information Database (England)
Regulations 2007 requires maintained schools to supply basic contact
information to ContactPoint (a directory that will help people who work with
children and young people to quickly find out who else is working with the same
child, making it easier to deliver more coordinated support).
The Local Authority
uses information about children for whom it provides services to carry out
specific functions for which it is responsible, such as the assessment of any
special education needs the child may have. It also uses the information to
derive statistics to inform decisions on (for example) the funding of schools,
and to assess the performance of schools and set targets for them. The
statistics are used in such a way that individual children cannot be identified
from them. The LA is also required to maintain the accuracy of the information
held on ContactPoint about children and young people in their area.
Data Protection Officer, Bedfordshire Local Authority,
County Hall,
The Qualifications
and Curriculum Authority uses information about pupils to administer the
National Curriculum assessments portfolio throughout Key Stages 1 to 3. This
includes both assessments required by statute and those that are optional. The
results of these are passed on to DCSF to compile statistics on trends and
patterns in levels of achievement. The QCA uses the information to evaluate the
effectiveness of the National Curriculum and the associated assessment
arrangements, and to ensure that these are continually improved.
Data Protection Officer, QCA, 83 Piccadilly,
Ofsted
uses information about the progress and performance of pupils to help
inspectors evaluate the work of schools, to assist schools in their
self-evaluation, and as part of Ofsted’s assessment of the effectiveness of
education initiatives and policy. Ofsted also uses information about the
views of children and young people to inform children’s services inspections in
local authority areas. Inspection reports do not identify individual pupils.
Data
Protection Officer, Alexandra House, 33 Kingsway,
The Learning
and Skills Council uses information about pupils for
statistical purposes, to evaluate and develop education policy and to monitor
the performance of the education service as a whole. The statistics (including
those based on information provided by the QCA) are used in such a way that
individual pupils cannot be identified from them. On occasion information
may be shared with other Government departments or agencies strictly for
statistical or research purposes only. The LSC or its partners may wish to
contact learners from time to time about courses, or learning opportunities
relevant to them.
Data
Protection Officer, Cheylesmore House,
Learner
Registration System (LRS) The Learning
and Skills Council (LSC) also administers the Managing Information Across
Partners (MIAP) Programme on behalf of the MIAP membership. More information
about MIAP membership can be found at www.miap.gov.uk, or if a hard copy is required please contact the
Learning Skills Council (address above).
The LSC is responsible for the development and
operation of the Learner Registration System (LRS) and also the creation of a
learner record.
For pupils of 14 years and over and for pupils
registering for post-14 qualifications, the school will pass on certain
identification information to the LRS to create and maintain a unique learner
number (ULN), and achievement information to the MIAP Service to create and
maintain a learner record.
The Learner Registration Service will enable
organisations allowed by law and detailed at www.miap.gov.uk to access the ULN and contain it in their systems,
thereby saving individuals having to supply the same information repeatedly to
different organisations.
Details of how an individual may opt out of sharing
achievement data in their learner record with those organisations detailed at www.miap.gov.uk can also be found on the MIAP website.
www.miap.gov.uk
Data
Protection Officer, Cheylesmore House,
Primary Care
Trusts use information about pupils for research and statistical
purposes, to monitor the performance of local health services and to evaluate
and develop them. The statistics are used in such a way that individual pupils
cannot be identified from them. Information on the height and weight of
individual pupils may however be provided to the child and its parents and this
will require the PCTs to maintain details of pupils’ names for this purpose for
a period designated by the Department of Health following the weighing and
measuring process. PCTs may also provide individual schools and LAs with
aggregate information on pupils’ height and weight.
www.nhs.uk/England/AuthoritiesTrusts/Pct/Default.aspx
Data Protection Officer, Gilbert Hitchcock House,
The Department
of Health uses aggregate information (at school year group level) about
pupils' height and weight for research and statistical purposes, to inform,
influence and improve health policy and to monitor the performance of the
health service as a whole. The DH will base performance management discussions
with Strategic Health Authorities on aggregate information about pupils
attending schools in the PCT areas to help focus local resources and deliver
the Public Service Agreement target to halt the year on year rise in obesity
among children under 11 by 2010, in the context of a broader strategy to tackle
obesity in the population as a whole. The Department of Health will also
provide aggregate PCT level data to the Healthcare Commission for performance
assessment of the health service.
www.dh.gov.uk
Data Protection Officer, Skipton House,
The Department for Children
Schools and Families (DCSF) uses information about pupils for statistical
purposes, for research and statistical purposes, to inform, influence and
improve education policy and to monitor the performance of the education
service as a whole. DCSF will feed back to the LAs and schools information
about their pupils for a variety of purposes that will include data checking
exercises, use in self-evaluation analyses and where information is missing
because it was not passed on by a former school.
DCSF, with the participation of LAs, operates the database
known as ContactPoint. ContactPoint is an online directory available to
authorised staff who need it to do their jobs.
It is designed to allow practitioners to find out who else is working
with the child or young person, making it easier to deliver more coordinated
support. Schools are under a statutory
duty to pass onto ContactPoint certain information. This consists of basic information about the
child or young person, the contact details of the school and the contact
address and telephone numbers for the parents or carers, with parental
responsibility of the child or young person.
The DCSF will also provide Ofsted with pupil data
for use in school inspection. Where relevant, pupil information may also be
shared with post 16 learning institutions to minimise the administrative burden
on application for a course and to aid the preparation of learning plans.
Pupil information may be matched with other data
sources that the Department holds in order to model and monitor pupils’ educational
progression; and to provide comprehensive information back to LAs and learning
institutions to support their day to day business. The DCSF may also use
contact details from these sources to obtain samples for statistical surveys:
these surveys may be carried out by research agencies working under contract to
the Department and participation in such surveys is usually voluntary. The
Department may also match data from these sources to data obtained from
statistical surveys.
Pupil data may also be shared with other Government
Departments and Agencies (including the Office for National Statistics) for
statistical or research purposes only. In all these cases the matching will
require that individualised data is used in the processing operation, but that
data will not be processed in such a way that it supports measures or decisions
relating to particular individuals or identifies individuals in any results.
This data sharing will be approved and controlled by the Department’s Chief
Statistician.
The DCSF may also disclose individual pupil
information to independent researchers into the educational achievements of
pupils who have a legitimate need for it for their research, but each case will
be determined on its merits and subject to the approval of the Department’s
Chief Statistician.
www.dcsf.gov.uk
Data Protection Officer, DCSF, Caxton House,
Pupils, as data subjects, have certain rights under the Data
Protection Act, including a general right of access to personal data held on
them, with parents exercising this right on their behalf if they are too young
to do so themselves. If you wish to access the personal data held about your
child, then please contact the relevant organisation in writing.
In order to fulfil their responsibilities under the Act the
organisation may, before responding to this request, seek proof of the
requestor’s identity and any further information required to locate the
information requested.
Separately from the Data Protection Act, regulations provide
a pupil's parent (regardless of the age of the pupil) with the right to view,
or to have a copy of, their child's educational record at the school. If you
wish to exercise this right, you should write to me, the Headteacher, at the
school address above.
Please note that all rights under the Data Protection Act to
do with information about your child rest with them as soon as they are old
enough to understand these rights. This will vary from one child to another and
you will wish to consider the position for your child, but, as a broad guide,
it is acknowledged that most children will have sufficient understanding by the
age of 12. We would therefore encourage you to share this note with your child
when they are aged 12 or over.
Yours faithfully
Caroline
Howell
Headteacher